"The Education of Dan Rather"- Peggy Noonan captures Rather's rise, arrogance and dastardly fall

Opinion Journal ^ | 12-2-04 | Peggy Noonan

[prairiebreeze]

[Junior]

This is a good article. Thank you for pinging me to this.

[CDHart]

Actually, I think it was FR et al that brought Rather down.

Carolyn

[STARWISE]

It's funny that Mary Mapes desperately wanted to destroy Bush, but ended up destroying Rather.

Aaah so.

[Revolting cat!]

For three years, from 1981 through 1984, I wrote his daily radio commentary, a four-minute essay with a one-minute spot that went out to all the CBS affiliates and network-owned stations.

Somehow, dear old Peggy,sees nothing wrong with this picture. She (and others before and after her stint) ghost writes for Blather, he signs his name under her writing, and based on it he, not the nameless ghostwrites develops a reputation as a journalist, why, a genius of sorts. Pathetic panegyric by a member of the establishment mafia.

If you cut out the bullcrap you'd say that this so-called journalist is/was nothing more than a lucky simpleton with deep voice, good looks and confident manner, no different only luckier than any news reader on any local station in this country. News reader, Peggy, that's what the Brits call them.

[potlatch]

He likes to talk to Edward R Murrow in the dead of night!

[PhilDragoo]

Their market share continues to decline.

[Boundless]

Just noticed that Beldar filed a dissenting opinion:

Beldar on Noonan on Rather
http://beldar.blogs.com/beldarblog/2004/12/beldar_on_noona.html

[budwiesest]

Rather reported from a open-air desk set with his back to a collapsed California two-stack freeway,

I remember that incident. Even drove over it a few times (like hoop-de-doos if you went over 60). Hadn't seen Rather reporting but it certainly doesn't surprise.

It's almost as though these 'reporters' need something to comiserate (sp?) over as though without which, they'd have no viewers. Knowing this, they conspire to set America on a course that will ultimately lead to a wreck-on-the-highway to which they'll be the first to report the gruesome details. All for the sake of an audience and ratings.

I watch their 'shows' not for entertainment, but to augment my belief that such un-American activities go mostly un-noticed by the average citizen. I can only imagine how they'd attempt to criminalize my father and his fellow B-17 pilots during WWII for their bombing of military bases, fuel depots, railroads, and bridges over Germany. I've seen black-and-whites taken from the bombadier's camera and it wasn't pretty. I've also held in my hands, photos that never made it to the 'press'. They were taken of Nazis hung after the Nuerenburg trials. Each was lain atop a casket (pine box) wearing full-length 'wool coats'; return true;" onmouseout="window.status=''; return true;">wool coats'(looked kinda green/black) and had unmistakable corpusol(sp?) damage to their faces caused by the rope. Some more than others. Goerhing was a name I remembered. But there were many.

The Big Three news outlets are being sawed-off at the knees by the internet and cable networks, and for that we can be thankful. We've suffered enough under their agenda driven propaganda for decades. If it's bad news that attracts audiences, then it's bad news they'll present. And if going against the grain of everything American is what's necessary to create bad news, they'll promote it.

Give me the news, screw your agenda, that's all I ask. Oh, and while they're at it, why not read up on those things that make this country exceptional and the envy of the rest of the world? Things like individual liberty, limited government, and creating an enviornment that rewards self-achievement.